Let's take a walk

Succulents...I've been trying to fill this pot for three years. I might succeed!

Richard and I have been trying to walk. We want to get in better shape but we also need to get outside and breathe in the fresh air. 

A pot of color next to the studio door

Sometimes we walk together, sometimes one of us Richard will get some steps in early. I've increased my walking to three miles three times a week and two miles on alternate days. 

Althea

I've been enjoying seeing everything in my yard grow and bloom. Wednesday I shared my walk with this little guy. I was surprised that it allowed me to take a photo with no questions and no hiding.

We have lots of trees but right now this magnolia looks and smells wonderful. It also gives deep shade, the temperature of which is always a cool relief from the sun.

Magnolia

Thanks for walking with me. I hope you enjoyed my little piece of paradise.

This time... LINES

Remember my pictures for inspiration post from last week? Well, I guess I really like the concept, because I took another walk, this time on the search for lines. 

a fence line

Trees have always been a big deal to me. I'm not sure just what it is exactly, their grandeur, their ability to clean the air, their home site capabilities, their colors and beauty. If you've ever seen the changing colors of the leaves in fall, or fledgling bluebirds following the mama from branch to branch, or Spanish moss dripping in the fog, you'd get it. 

knobby lines on the left,
smooth lines in the center

So anyway, here are my lines. We have a few trees in our yard, so I thought I'd capture a few pictures of the lines that trees create. 

not all lines are straight in a swamp;
trees lean into the softer ground

sexy curves?

lines going the wrong way

And I'll close with a few lines that are not from trees. Do you see the lines in these everyday objects? 

Pictures for inspiration

Under my needle today are these masks in gingham that my niece requested. Ten in total they've been relatively easy to sew. I made a jig to help in the pleating and that has made all the difference. Before this request, I'd made a few in oranges because I'd over-cut some 1½ inch strips. How convenient that they're the exact size of the straps. 

Recently one of the BRMQG quilters posted some photos she'd taken on her daily walks. The pictures depict lines in nature, and she uses the pics as inspiration to make blocks.   

hard gravel

mushy mushrooms

I loved the idea and decided to join her, except that I would work on textures. 

soft clover in bloom

  It doesn't take long to find different textures when you're looking. I started by looking down at the things under my feet as I walked. 

prickly stickers (yes in my yard!)

But soon I was looking a bit higher.

splintered wood

And then straight ahead at eye level.

rough oak trunk made even more so with woodpecker holes

sticky, prickly cedar

It was a fun exercise, though I was strolling rather than walking. I forced myself to get moving because I was, after all, out there for the physical exercise and it was getting hot. I don't necessarily intend to use these, except that I am enjoying the many different textures and it's as great exercise in mindfulness. 

Family, flowers, face masks...the little things in life

A rose from the new bushes

 

A beautiful moth Rich discovered this morning.
 Look at those markings.

I haven't been sewing very much of late. Between enjoying the beautiful weather and the yard, dealing with being quarantined, and making masks (yes, sewing but not my fav), the days are flying by. 

My new issue of Quiltfolk,
dedicated to Louisiana quilters

The children do occasionally visit, but we are keeping social distancing alive in the back yard. And of course, we visit Rich's mom daily, but again social distances have become the norm. 

New tee-shirts that a wonderfully talented friend 
delivered to my mailbox. 
Social distancing means not visiting as usual.

I've been walking more while it's cool enough to be out-of-doors. I took these pictures of the slough down the hill from our house on one of those excursions. 

And those masks! Thus far I've made and mailed four to my sister Laura, donated 10 to the local nursing home, and have two ready to mail to my niece who cannot find completely black masks for her flight attendant job. 

Happy birthday little reader!

And the most heartbreaking of all: this little guy turned one Sunday and we could not attend his birthday party. Family who live close by drove to their house and sang happy birthday from their cars. We did so via Skype. 

My fear is that they littlest ones will forget who we are if the quarantine lasts as long as projected. I guess it just means we'll have to make up for lost time by spending lots of time with them when CoVid-19 is in the past.

Please keep safe distances of six or more feet from others, even the ones you love. We can beat this pandemic with time, distance, and clean hands. 

Weekend Work

This old hand-crank
pump was the impetus.

Richard and I have been busy in the yard. He wanted a water feature in the back yard to entice the birds. More birds. Apparently there aren't enough. 


So what the heck. I made it quite clear that I am not willing to pull grass in a flower bed that we had abandoned years ago. 








Richard: But everyone can see it (the abandoned flower bed) from the patio.
Me: Why does that matter? Look at the yucky mess the birds made ON the patio.  (They throw seed on the bricks. Some they eat; the rest sprout. Or rot.)
Rich: I'm going to clean that up. 

Water, water everywhere.

Me: I think that sounds familiar. And I am the one who power washes the bricks. When it (the pressure washer) works!
Rich: I am going to fix that power washer.
Me: Hmm.
Rich: Okay, so here's the plan. 
I sat down.

Thirty minutes later I was still sitting in my retirement chair. (The rocking chair given to me at the retirement party.) And he was still making his argument, telling his plan, and otherwise keeping me from going into the studio. 

Plenty of flowers and shrubs for the birds and hummers to enjoy.

In the end, he won. Of course, it wasn't much of a fight since I may have wanted the same thing as he did. I just wanted the work completed on my timeline--fix the pressure washer, clean the patio and move the bird feeder, clean the flower beds we already have, build the water feature. That order is important.

The Knock-out Roses he planed on the side.

My thinking is that if he runs out of steam and quits, at least the work that has to be done will be done. He wanted a water feature.

Kale and Swiss chard from my sister, Laura.
 I like mixing veggies in the flowers.

Milly running around with Duke.
We do enjoy the yard.

Spring? Summer? Winter? WHAT?

These amaryllis are standing in
a camelia shrub, so I have to
untangle them from the limbs.

We have the zaniest weather. Earlier in the week I needed a coat while on school duty. The wind was cold, the air damp, and the temps just above freezing.  

This little guy was trying to decide on a color for his coat.

Slowly we warmed up to a point of wearing pants and long sleeves, not unusual around St. Patty's.

more amaryllis

 The azalea bloomed back before the crazy
weather turned cold again. But I can't leave them out.

Lady Banks rose...barely blooming
but growing in other ways.

Today? Hot. You know, spelled out, H-O-T, hot. The air conditioner is running, and I need a fan in the studio. Bees are buzzing in the wisteria: I know this because one chased me. I saw the first Eastern Bluebird in the bird house. Richard and Adam planted the garden. Neighbors are catching fish in their pond. There are flowers in bloom all over the yard. Check it out.

Wisteria have way more blooms now.
You can smell them anywhere in the back yard.

pyracantha

Pyracantha, which are huge shrubs now

The last of the spirea flowers

The swamp on one side of the house. A favorite view while walking.

The back yard (taken from the front yard) 

One of my favorite places in the yard. I love the trees and the shade.
Oh, and the quiet.

The driveway and side yard. Yes, Richard has already cut the grass.